Kill la Kill: Earn your Grades
by damned wolf warrior
Summary: College AU: Ryuko found herself fighting alone against the world, struggling to keep going. Senketsu is trying her best to help her, but she always try to refuse his helping hand. Will she learn to accept that there are things you can't face alone? (Ok i suck with this summary, i will try to think something better, i promise)
1. Kind friend

**A.N. =**First attempt for a college AU. Please**** let me know what do you think with a small**** review. It something that take you almost 30 seconds but that gives me enough motivation to keep going.****

**Thanks for your support!  
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"Oh, fuck!" Ryuko cursed. "Just shut up!" She then reached out with a hand from her bed and searched for that damned machine called clock, which was emitting a very annoying sound. Once she found it, she tried to disable the alarm, but after a couple of seconds in which she couldn't do anything, she just slammed a fist into the clock, silencing it. Quite satisfied by this, Ryuko smiled and brought back her arm, trying to find a comfortable position. Her rest was going to be disturbed again, however, when her friend dashed inside her room, already wearing a short brown skirt, a white shirt, a small red tie and a dark blue jacket.

"Wake up, Ryuko! You are going to be late again!" She said. "And I won't cover you up this time!"

"Come on, Mako!" Ryuko groaned. "Five minutes more…" She whispered already half sleeping. The evening before, Mako proposed her to study together for the next exam. They went to Ryuko's place inside the campus and kept studying until two in the morning. Actually, Mako tried to study, while Ryuko kept falling asleep, just to be awoken by her friend every single time.

Mako groaned too. "It's already eight o' clock! You have thirty minutes to get ready!" Leaving the room, she glanced back another time. "Your friend is already outside here. Don't let him wait any longer." And with that, she closed the door behind her.

Ryuko sighed. Coming to a sit on her bed, she wondered how could that girl be so awake after more or less six hours of sleep. Tiredly standing up, she went to the bathroom and took a shower. The cold water immediately washed away any remains of sleepiness in her body. Drying up with a towel, she looked at herself in the mirror. In these last two years, her body flourished a lot. She had a slender figure, improved by the trainings she did when she applied both to the football team and the gym. She also had a well endowed chest, not too big but not to small either. Her ravine black hair were messy and shoulder length, but the most strange particulars were the red hair streak that she had since her birth and a long scar. It wasn't very wide, but it began between her left shoulder and her neck, crossed her collarbone, passed between her breasts and reached the right side of her belly. She caressed it slowly, grazing it lightly with her nails. She got it when she tried to save her dad in that terrible day, one year before: She was returning home after a long day with her friend. When she reached the door, a huge explosion set the entire house in flames, knocking her backwards. Quickly recovering, she went inside, searching for her dad. When she found him, it was too late. Trying to get away, tears flowing from her eyes, a big part of the ceiling crushed, felling on her. She lost consciousness immediately and when she woke up, she was in the hospital, with Mako at her side.

Shaking away these sad memories before they got on her, she finished drying herself and got dressed. She didn't need a lot of different clothes, since her "style" was always the same. Truth to be told, she didn't have enough money to buy them, so she kept wearing what she had. Wearing a pair of jeans ripped on her knees, a white loosened shirt with the sleeves ripped just beneath the shoulders, a jeans jacket with the sleeves ripped away and a pair of white sneakers, she went to the kitchen to eat something. The fridge was almost empty and she cursed for this. She couldn't afford now to go out for groceries. That meant that she had to ask him again. She sighed heavily. She hated to rely on him for money. She already owed him a lot. When he discovered that her father passed away, and that she couldn't afford everything she needed, he always delivered a part of what he got from his job to her. He also managed to get her assigned a room inside the campus, which meant that she would have to spend less for the college. Asking him for money again wasn't something she was proud of.

"I will play the 'lie' card…" She thought. Taking a lemon and giving it a bite, she took her backpack and left the small apartment. As Mako said, her friend was already outside here, waiting for her.

"Sorry Senketsu…" She mumbled. Senketsu smiled her. He was wearing a pair of grey trousers and a white t-shirt, which let his arms and well defined muscles exposed to everyone to see. He was tall and tanned. His hair were short and black. He was a very good looking guy. Girls would have surely fallen at his feet if it wasn't for his eyes: Strangely, they were red. He didn't know why, so he couldn't explain that trait. For this, everyone found him 'strange', so he wasn't very popular. Ryuko, on the other hand, didn't find this a reason to avoid him. Moreover, they were in the same football team. It was just a matter of time before they bounded as friends.

"Ah, don't worry." He said. "I'm used to it. Shall we go now?" Tilting his head to his side, he turned a little, taking some steps towards the hallway.  
>Ryuko nodded, smiling a little. She reached his side and placed her right hand inside a pocket, while with the left one she was holding her lemon.<br>"So…" Senketsu started. "Is that your breakfast?" He asked.

"Straight to the point, eh?" Ryuko stated. "It's just a small dessert. You know I like lemons." She lied. When Senketsu hummed a little, she hoped that he would bait it. Without looking at him, and trying to be as nonchalantly as possible, she gave another bite at her lemon. She could almost feel Senketsu's eyes piercing her to read her soul and mind.

"This means you already eat, right?" Senketsu stated with a small smile. "What did you eat?"

"Some milk and cereals." She answered trying not to stumble in her words.

"You are the worst liar I have ever seen." Senketsu chuckled placing his hand in his pockets and searching for something.

"What makes you think I'm lying?" Ryuko asked frowning. How could he understand she was lying so quickly?

"If you really ate something, you would have answered that it wasn't my business and that I should focus on my own breakfast, probably cursing as well. You tend to speak less when you are lying." He explained.

"Oh… Right…" She was surprised by this. He really knew a lot about her. They met during the first year of college, so this was the second year of their strange friendship, but it seemed like he knew her for longer than that.

"Here. Go get something at the bar." Senketsu said giving her twenty dollars.

"No… Senketsu I can't…" She started, but when she saw the he was serious she stopped. She knew that when he had his mind set, nothing could stop him. Not even her, who was similar to him in that way. "Alright…" She mumbled in defeat.

"Good girl." He smiled patting her head. "You shouldn't refrain from asking help. I told you that my parents send me some money weekly. Moreover, I have a job. I can lend you some without problems."

"It just doesn't feel right…" Ryuko said, stopping in front of her class. "I mean… You are doing a lot for me…" However, Senketsu stopped her again, raising a hand.

"Don't worry." He said. "You will repay me leading the team to victory in the next tournament." He smiled her. "I must go now, otherwise I will be late too. See you at the trainings!" He said waving a hand, already leaving the girl to her class.

Ryuko mindlessly waved back. He was a really good person. Smiling to his kindness, she went inside her classroom, taking her usual seat near her friend Mako in the middle of the room. Taking some papers and a couple of pens, she begun writing down some notes about the lesson. As always, however, after more or less ten minutes of listening, her mind wandered on its own and she found herself daydreaming while watching out the window.  
>Chemistry wasn't her favorite subject after all.<p>

….

Ryuko run as fast as she could, dribbling her opponents with incredible easiness. When she saw two more were running towards her, she kicked the ball on the right and run straight between the two of them. With another strong dash, she reached the other squad area and lifted her right leg. Just when she was about to kick the air, the ball arrived in front of her. Releasing all her power, she throw a powerful hit and scored another goal. Even if this was the second time, she was still underperforming: Usually she didn't need to rely so much on her teammates. In the other matches, she was the one with the most scored number of goals. Of course, she was the first to pass the ball when needed, doing a great teamwork, but she was always over the edge. This time, however, her personal record of four goals per match was going to shatter.

"Good job Senketsu! Perfect aim as always!" She said to her mate as he approached her.

"Honored to hear this from our sniper!" He joked with a smirk. "Come on, let's go back." He said jogging back.

"Yeah… Just give me a second…" She said leaning forward, placing her hands on her knees. Her breath was heavier than usual. She was starting to regret her sudden idea to not spend the money Senketsu gave her that morning to return them. "I'm a little worn out…" She chuckled.

"Tell me you ate something after chemistry." He groaned.

"Actually… I wanted to…"

"Matoi!" Gamagoori shouted interrupting her. "What are you doing there? Get back in position!" He said approaching them. Gamagoori was the captain and goalkeeper of the team. Even if he wasn't the best player, he was nominated captain since he seemed to radiate an aura of discipline. A guy once said that just by standing near him he felt the urge to follow the college rules.

"Just give me a second…"

"Get back in position!" He repeated interrupting her for the second time. "Otherwise I will make you do laps until you pass out." Crossing his arms, he seemed to grow bigger and bigger as time passed, towering her. The trainer of the team was Aikuru Mikisugi. However, he usually went to take care of his own business, leaving Gamagoori to train his teammates. Keywords begin usually and train. Every single training session was decided by Gamagoori who wanted the best from everyone under any circumstance.

Remembering very well that Gamagoori already fulfilled that threat with some of her other teammates, and once with herself too, she immediately stood up and run back to her position, ignoring the tiredness she felt.

"Captain, I know that our first match is scheduled for the next week… But I also know you are aware of her… Problems…" Senketsu stated once Ryuko was out of earshot.

Gamagoori sighed, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "I know very well, Senketsu… You were the one bringing the topic to Satsuki and the student council after all … Did she eat something this morning?" He asked turning his face a little to look at him. When Senketsu just scratched the back of his neck with an awkward smile on his face, Gamagoori sighed again. "How stubborn, Matoi." He then glanced to the clock. "Alright underachievers! We are done today! Take a shower and go back to your studies!" He shouted loudly. When Senketsu begun to leave, he reached out and grabbed his arm. "Keep an eye on her." He said.

"Sure." Senketsu answered. Then he went to the lockers as Gamagoori said. Drying himself and changing back to his previous clothes, he then went to meet Ryuko.

"What did he said?" She asked leading the way towards the bar. It was midday and she was pretty hungry.

"He asked me to keep an eye on you. He is worried that you aren't eating propely." Senketsu answered earning a couple of blinks from her friend.

"It's none of his business. Hell, what the fuck got on all of you? I'm eating enough!" She said, but a sudden grumble from her stomach quickly countered her words.

Senketsu lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not sure about this." He said bluntly. "How much money do you have?"

"Enough…" Ryuko answered, turning her head unable to keep eye contact and coming to a stop.

"You are lying."

"Shut up…" She replied adjusting her backpack, a feeling of uneasiness dwelling inside her.

"Ryuko…" He warned placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I said shut up!" She snapped, shoving away his hand. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be mad at you… It's just…" She clenched her fists both in anger and exasperation. "It doesn't seem right… I don't want to rely on others for my problems…"

"Ryuko, I understand your feelings." He said calmly, placing his hand on her shoulder again. "But this is not a joke. We are talking about your health and I'm trying to help you. This is important, you can understand it. I know you have some pride. You told me that yourself. But is it really more important than your welfare?" Ryuko shook her head, lowering her gaze. She was lucky to have a friend like him, who knew her good enough to bare with her behavior, never judging her and never leaving her side.

"Good." He said patting her shoulder, speaking with a kind tone. "Now, will you answer me? How much money do you have?"

"Just the twenty you gave me…" She answered with a low voice.

"What about your fridge?"

"Almost empty…" She turned her face on the side to hide the shame she felt. "I had to pay the college this month…"

"I see." He replied thinking about something. After a couple of mere seconds, he took her wrist and pulled her in another hallway, which led toward the parking lot. "Come with me." He said.

"W… Wait… Where are you taking me?" Ryuko asked, stumbling a little behind him.

"I'm taking you in a place where you can eat for free every time you want." He answered showing a full teeth smile and speeding up. Once they arrived at the parking lot, he let go of Ryuko's hand and took a pair of keys from his pockets.

"What do you mean? Where do you want to bring me?" Ryuko asked getting a little annoyed but curious as well.

"My apartment." Senketsu answered without losing his grin and unlocking the doors of his car.


	2. Gym trainings

**I will be honest, i had this ready before chrismast holidays, but i wanted to update all the stories togheter... Sorry... hope you like it and leave a small review!**

"So… This is your place…" Ryuko stated, coming inside Senketsu's apartment slowly. It was a normal place like any others, but it was bigger than the one in which Ryuko lived. After all, she just had a small apartment inside the campus, composed by a bathroom, a bedroom and a dining room which worked as a living room too. That was the first time she went to visit him because she never had the opportunity, but now she grew curious about it. There were a few main differences between Senketu's apartment and hers: The first one was the number of rooms and the second was their size. There were four rooms, which were a little bigger than the ones in Ryuko's place. Another difference was, obviously, the furniture. Not very expensive, but good enough to be very comfortable.  
>"Come in, don't stand on the door!" Senketsu said with a smile. Taking her backpack, he led her inside, towards the kitchen. "So… What do you want to eat?" He asked placing her backpack on the couch in another room.<p>

"I will just take a sandwich… I don't want to bother you…" Ryuko answered with a low voice, but loud enough to be heard, while sitting down at the table.  
>"Understood, pasta for the young lady!" Senketsu replied with a goofy smile while beginning to prepare everything he needed.<p>

"What?" Ryuko shouted, placing her hands on the table and standing up, leaning lightly on them. "I said…"

"I know what you said, Matoi." Senketsu stated extremely serious. "And I will not allow you to get away from here with just a sandwich. Mako told me that yesterday evening you ate very little. Now you are going to eat a good lunch, so sit down and wait."

Ryuko slowly did what he said. Senketsu never used her last name. Not when he addressed her, nor when they first met. Never. If he had used it, it meant that whatever she was going to say, he was going to do what he thought to be right. "Thank you…" She whispered.

"For what? Caring about your health?" Senketsu asked turning to show the same goofy smile of before.

"For everything…" Ryuko stated with a sad look on her face, sitting down another time. Again, Senketsu pierced through her pride, convincing her that it wasn't wrong to ask for help when needed.

"Don't worry." He waved his hand, trying to cheer her up. "Come on Ryuko, you are not this kind of girl. You are the one always ready to pick a fight and strong enough to beat a couple of bigger guys without problems! Moreover, you are our sniper! You never miss a shot when you are inside our enemy's area."  
>Ryuko smiled. "Yeah... You're right… But I always felt sad when I couldn't handle my problems alone…" A small growl for her stomach stopped her from her current speech. She chuckled a little, amused by this. "Come on, chef! Show me what you can do! If you are not going to let me go without a good lunch, then I won't complain!" She said with her usual energy.<p>

"Aaand you are back!" Senketsu laughed hearing her friend back at full energy. "Get ready, then! Your meal is almost done!"

….

"Hell, if I knew you were this skilled at cooking I would have come to your place earlier." Ryuko said sinking in the passenger seat of Senketsu's car. After eating what seemed to be the best lunch in her life, Senketsu reminded her that she had to go to the gym since it was wednesday. Ryuko wasn't surprised at all about him knowing when she had to go there since she always asked him to remember her in first place. After taking a small break in which Ryuko rested a little on the couch, they took the car and went back towards the college, since it was standing right before the gym.

"I told you that it would have been the best meal of your life!" Senketsu chuckled. However, he soon turned serious. "Ryuko, I already told you today, as well as every day from back there…" He said referring to the day in which he discovered that her father died. "You can count on me. Do not refrain from asking me some help."

"Thank you." She replied lightly grazing her neck near the scar. "This really means a lot for me." The way in which he took care of her every single day always made her think about her father and the days she spent with him. Sure, they weren't the closest family since he worked a lot and she always lived in the dorms, but there were a lot of memories she shared with him. Calls, messages, birthdays, holidays…

"Habit." He called out without even facing her.

"Yeah… Right…" She stammered realizing that he was referring to her habit of scratching that spot when she had these kind of thoughts. "I should really get rid of this."

"Why? I think it's something nice. It's something unique. Something yours." Senketsu frowned. "I mean, this habit is something nice. Not the scar. Scars are bad…"

"Oh, shut up! I know what you meant!" Ryuko said before chuckling a little. She didn't know if it was Mako's influence or not, but if Senketsu's train of thoughts wasn't stopped soon, he would have ended up with a strange speech. Not as strange as Mako's ones, but still strange.

They passed the rest of the trip laughing and poking at each other. Eventually, they reached their destination and Senketsu left Ryuko to her trainings. Waving a hand, she went inside the building. Her trainer was going to kill her if she was late once more. Quickly reaching the lockers and changing in her team uniform, she thought about Senketsu's words.

You can count on me.

He just wanted her to trust him. That didn't mean she wasn't. Of course she trusted him. But it was meaning a different thing: He was asking her to listen to him and to let him take care of her. It was hard for her since she basically grew alone, taking care of herself. However, she was going to give it a try. She owned him at least this.

"Matoi! What are you doing here?" She heard the voice of her trainer scold her. And in the same annoying way Gamagoori used too. "Come here, your schedule should have started fifteen minutes ago!" As he said these words, Ryuko rolled her eyes and quickly approached her trainer.

"Come on, Sanageyama! Give me a break!" She said. But Sanageyama wasn't going to do that. Instead, he gave her the schedule and pushed her towards the first gym equipment.

"Break is a word that doesn't exist in my vocabulary! Now move on! I want you fully warmed up! Your sparring partner is already waiting for you!" He said crossing his arms once they reached their destination. Even if he was just twenty years old, he was asked by both the student council president and the other trainers to help inside the gym, which obviously was a part of the college field.

"She will have to wait a little more then! I ate like fifteen minutes ago!" She complained. Looking at her schedule, she noticed that her training program was harder than usual. Suspiciously looking back at Sanageyama, she pointed to the paper, rising an eyebrow. "What the fuck is this? I'm not ready for this kind of exercises! Mind to explain?"

Sanageyama sighed exasperate. Placing his hands in his green hair, he sighed heavily. "I'm tired of hearing this pitiful excuse! You are more than ready! You should have started that program one month ago! Now, less complains and more work!" He said pointing a finger towards her.

Ryuko held back her curses and did what she was told. At the beginning, it was quite hard for her to adjust at the new exercises. She was still tired for the restless night and her digestion began a couple of minutes before, redirecting a huge amount of her energy towards her stomach. However, Sanageyama was right: The more she warmed up and the easier it became for her to follow her schedule.

"I'm not going to admit it." She thought, drinking some water from the bottle that Sanageyama always prepared her. "Unless he is going to be a little kinder. I hate when he and Gamagoori speak to me like that!"

"Matoi!" Sanageyama called out. This time, however, he wasn't shouting angrily. "Are you done here? Hand me you schedule please." He asked, taking the paper. Quickly checking it, he saw that Ryuko needed to do one last exercise, then she was free to meet her sparring partner. "Alright, follow me, this time I will help you."

Ryuko did as told and Sanageyama led her towards another gym equipment. She knew very well how it worked. Why would Sanageyama help her? Moreover, the number of series wasn't written on her program, nor the weight either. "Sanageyama, I know how this one works. Just tell me both weight and series and I will do them. I don't need a babysitter." She complained.

"I know that!" Sanageyama answered back. "But I need to understand how much weight you can handle before I can leave you alone!" Seeing that Ryuko just blinked deadpanning, he sighed once again. "Just do what I say, got it?" He asked, earning a hesitant nod from her.

That equipment consisted in a small vertical structure than was needed as a guide for the weights. Simply put, she had to place the weights on a bar, position herself under it and push the bar with her shoulders, trying to sit down and stand up using her legs. It wasn't the first time she did it, but Sanageyama never assisted her.

Positioning herself, she began lifting the weights. "Alright… Let's start" She said. It wasn't heavy at all, and she was sure that she could handle it with just one hand.

"Good. Now, I will keep adding weight to them. I need you to tell me when you have troubles and when you can't lift it at all. And do not even try to lie! This is not a joke! Got it?" He said, shouting at the end to make sure that she was listening.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" Ryuko answered, placing the weights back on the supporters. She really wanted to kick his ass, but she knew she couldn't: First, he was her trainer. He could give her an impossible schedule and pretend her to do it every day instead of two times at week. Second, he was a member of the student council and the president happened to be the daughter of the owner of the college, so he was virtually untouchable. Third, even if she was going to ignore the consequences, she was tired, while he was fresh and well rested. He would have grounded her without problems.

Sanageyama placed some new weights and asked her to lift them. They were heavy, but she could handle them. Sanageyama nodded and, when Ryuko placed back the bar, he added some weight more. This time, she was having some trouble and she needed to push more to lift them. Sanageyama eventually added some weight more, just to be sure, and saw that Ryuko was struggling very hard to lift them. Writing down the results, Sanageyama helped Ryuko to place the weights back on the supporters and took off some weight, telling her she was now ready for the exercise. Taking her paper, she saw that he wrote every last missing information. She frowned a little: The weight was a little less than the second step she tried to lift, while the series were less than usual.

"You will need to get used to that weight before you can start with the real exercise." He said before she could even open her mouth. "We will increase it when you will be ready." And with that, he left to do his own training program.

Ryuko blinked a couple of times once again. She had the feeling that he lied her, but she shook it away. Turning around and resuming her training, she wondered why he lowered the amount of work she had to do for that exercise. She remembered pretty well seeing him shouting to a student who asked for an easier exercise , before making it even harder than before. Why should he actually help her? Sighing heavily, she decided to drop the topic. She couldn't bash her head on something that she didn't know. Moreover, she was very tired. If she was going to finish her trainings earlier, then she would rest more.  
>Once done, she went towards a nearby door. Her shoulder ached a little, so she needed to rotate them a while. Her muscles were heavy and tired. How was she supposed to fight her sparring partner?<p>

Sighing, she opened the door. The other girl was already standing in the middle of the room, knelt down on both her knees and patiently waiting for her opponent. She was wearing a white tank top, which left her abdomen and her arms exposed, and a pair of white gym trousers. "Too much white…" Ryuko thought. She then dropped her backpack near the door and slowly went in front of her, taking her same position.

"You are late." The girl said with her eyes closed. How could she know about her surroundings without opening her eyes was something that always bothered Ryuko.

"Yeah, yeah, I was eating with a friend and we lost track of the time." Ryuko answered waving a hand. "Just to let you know, I'm quite worn out… Mind finishing this quickly, Kyruin?" She wanted to finish this as soon as possible, so she could go back at home and rest for a while… But obviously, Satsuki had other plans.

"I don't know how your acknowledging of your tiredness will make this finish quick, Matoi… Are you trying to imply a small request for an easier training?" Satsuki questioned with a cold and commanding tone and without opening her eyes. "If that's so, then I must disappoint you. Last time I taught you all the remaining basis. Now we will start with something more advanced." She said bowing lightly.

"And here I thought you had an heart…" Ryuko muttered rolling her eyes and bowing too. That seriously wasn't a good day.

**I wanted to update this yesterday, but Karma (read "Final Fantasy") got in the way ahahah  
>There is a new chapter for the other stories too, check them please!<strong>


	3. AN Nervous breakdown

**I'm sorry if i'm taking a lit of time to update, but as i already told you i prefer to update everything at the same time... Moreover, i got a nervous breakdown the whole week (which means from 0 to 3 hours of sleep each night) and i'm still trying to recover... As soon as i feel better, i will resume writing the chapters... Just for you to know, "Earn your grades" is ready, "A different story" is halfway and "Second Impact" is not even started.**

**Again, sorry for taking so much time.**


	4. Wounds take time to heal

**Parents are stressing me... University is stressing me... Still recovering from the nervous breakdown... Something else? Oh right!**

**DAMNED AUTHOR'S BLOCK!**

**First, for those of you who are interested, this is the link to my facebook profile**

** . .12**

**If you can't view or select it, don't worry, i wrote it in my profile too.**

**Second, i think i will change the three pics of my stories. And i want you to decide them! Draw them down and send them to me on facebook and tell me who you are and for what story you draw the pic! The best three will be used!**

**And third, if you want you can add a personal question and another one about the story! I will answer all personal question, but only the three winning pics will get an answer to the other question. All answers will be posted on both facebook and the next chapters!**

**Good luck and have fun!**

The sound of an head colliding with the ground echoed in the room, leaving almost immediately place to a well timed curse, which lingered in the air for a couple of moments. The heavy breaths of two girls filled the air, while the long ravine black haired girl slowly distanced herself from her opponent, letting her raise her upper body to a sitting position on the ground

"That makes five…" Satsuki said with a calm tone. Her fight with Ryuko didn't make her break in sweat. She just needed a couple of long breaths to fully recover. "Seriously, Matoi, what's going on? Usually you don't get grounded so easily."

Ryuko, who was rubbing the back of her head to ease the pain, gritted her teeth to hold back her tounge before she could insult the other girl. "I told you, Kyruin… I'm fucking exhausted! Your damned friend in the other room wisely thought to make my schedule harder!" She said in defense.

Satsuki rolled her eyes. If there was someone she hated, that was slackers. She never classified Ryuko as that kind of girl, since she always tried her best in everything she did, but there were some circumstances in which she almost saw her as a lazy girl.

"Just stand up and get ready." Satsuki said moving into her usual fighting stance. "We are not done yet."  
>Now it was Ryuko's turn to roll her eyes. "Can't we just make a fucking break? I'm seriously going to pass out for tiredness!" She complained, but seeing that Satsuki didn't scowl at all, she let out a heavy, tired sigh. "Just make it quick, eyebrow…" She said standing up again.<p>

Taking position in front of Satsuki, she prepared herself to get kicked in the ass again. In other circumstances, she could put up a fight with her without problems. They were almost on the same level since they begun training a year ago and Ryuko won more or less half of their training matches. However, she was tired as hell. She was doing an incredible effort just to rise her arms in a poor attempt to defend herself from Satsuki's attacks.

Satsuki begun with a quick left straight at her chest. Holding the back of her right hand with her left hand, Ryuko stopped the punch right before it was going to collide with her sternum. Then, catching Satsuki's wrist with her right hand, she pulled towards herself and slided her left hand on Satsuki's arm to hit her in the face with the back of her hand.

Satsuki saw this coming and leaned backwards. Since she was half-turned towards the right, leaving her left side towards Ryuko, she managed to dodge the hit quite easily. If Ryuko wasn't so slow, due to her tiredness and her sore muscles, Satsuki would have been hit. Instead, after dodging it, Satsuki freed her wrist and took Ryuko's forearm. Pulling it on her shoulder, she bent on the right hoisting Ryuko on her back, pushing her over and slamming her on the ground. In a swift movement, then, she blocked her on the ground with her elbow pressed against Ryuko's throat using enough strength to hold her down without causing any pain.

"And six…" Satsuki whispered. Sighing, she stood up once again and crossed her arms disappointed. "Maybe I should really let you rest for a while. You are seriously doing a pitiful performance." She then moved towards a corner of the room. Reaching for her backpack, which was resting on the ground, she took a small notepad and begun writing something with a pen.

Ryuko didn't move from the ground. She was laying with her arms and legs sprawled. Her chest was rising and falling at the speed of her breath. Moreover, her heart was pounding so fast that her whole upper body was shaking lightly with every beat. Closing her eyes, she wiped the sweat away from her forehead with her right forearm.

"How disgraceful." Satsuki said scowling.

Ryuko re-opened her eyes and, moving her arm back on the ground, she looked upwards and saw an upside down Satsuki with a very disappointed look on her face. Sighing heavily, she covered her eyes with her right arm once again.

"Jesus, don't look at me like this, eyebrow." She said. "I really don't like it."

Satsuki frowned, turning away from her and leaning forward to place her notepad back into the backpack. "As long as you get those disappointing results, I will keep looking at you like this. Improve yourself and maybe next time I will think about it." She then stood up again and turned to face Ryuko again. However, she froze in place.

Ryuko moved her arm from her eyes to her chest and begun scratching lightly her scar. Satsuki was used to see her doing this little act and thought it was just an habit. There was, however, one time in which, during the fight, she saw the scar poking out from the neck of her t-shirt. When she asked about it, Ryuko answered losing her focus for a little, then she literally shattered Satsuki's defense, grounded her and left saying that she was done with the trainings with a sad and almost broken voice. That wasn't however what really surprised Satsuki. What really struck a nerve was a faint sparkle near Ryuko's left eye and the sentence escaping her lips.

"Satsuki… Please… Just don't do it…" She said.

Satsuki stood there speechless for a moment. For the first time, Ryuko called her by her first name. And she didn't spoke with anger or insolence. Her voice betrayed sadness, exactly like the other time. Understanding that she said something wrong, Satsuki shook her head lightly.

"Alright, I won't… Just promise me you are going to improve for our next training session." Satsuki said crossing her arms again. The younger girl quickly rubbed her eyes a little, then nodded grinning like an idiot.

"Next time you will be the one laying on the ground, eyebrows!" She shouted, strangely happy after their small exchange. Standing up again on shaking legs, Ryuko readied herself as best as she could. "Ready when you are!" She said to the elder girl.

Satsuki blinked a couple of times. "You are not even standing on your feet and you want to fight again? Are you sure about this?" She asked.

"It's more than enough!" Ryuko shouted smiling. Her facial features were proof enough of her seriousness.

Satsuki held back a sharp and sarcastic statement. Instead she just rubbed her eyes a little with her right hand before holding her forehead for a moment. Letting her arms fell at her sides, she slowly approached the girl, who was shaking a little for forcing herself on her feet. Satsuki then rose her left arm in front of Ryuko's face. Waving it back and forth from left to right, she suddenly struck her nose with her middle finger. Taken by surprise, Ryuko brought her hands on her nose, taking a step back. This, however, shifted her weight on her right leg, which collapsed for the lack of strength, so Ryuko fell on one knee.

"What was that for?" Ryuko asked angrily. Her nose wasn't hurting at all, but the lack of seriousness in Satsuki's attack was a blow to her pride.

"Just proving that you are not in condition to keep going." Satsuki explained with her usual cold and stone expression. "Enough for today. You are free to go now." She said waving an hand to dismiss her. Turning away, she slowly reached her bag, crouched near it and gathered her stuff. When she heard to door closing behind her, she sighed heavily. After a couple of minutes, the door opened again.

"And here I thought you could cheer her up. When she leaves the room after the training session, she's always smiling." Sanageyama said sighing and coming inside. "However, she left the gym with a huge frown on her face this time."

"That would be something I would like to see." Satsuki answered smiling. However, she didn't turn to face her friend. She kept placing her things inside her bag and taking them out, not completely convinced by the disposition.

"What happened?" Sanageyama asked scratching the back of his head. Satsuki stopped toying around with her things in her bag. Placing her right hand on her heart, she closed her eyes.

"Some wounds take time to heal." She explained reopening her eyes and looking at the same hand she held so close at her chest. "But the scars will never disappear… Not completely at least." She paused for a moment. Opening her mouth again, she wanted to add something else, but eventually she didn't. She could understand that girl in a certain way. Her parents weren't the best when it came for family relationship.

Sanageyama nodded, crossing her arms. "Even if it's been an year, she's still very susceptible to the topic." He said interrupting her train of thoughts. Checking the clock, he sighed. "Come on, let's meet the others. We will talk about Matoi with them."

Satsuki nodded back, taking her backpack and hoisting it on her shoulder. Standing up, she went to the lockers and took a shower. Then, she met up with Sanageyama, who did the same, and togheter they headed towards their cars.

…..

"So… How did it went?" Senketsu asked when Ryuko opened the door of his car coming inside. She sent him a message ten minutes before, more or less, saying that she finished her trainings earlier than usual and he answered back saying that he was on his way to give her a lift.

"It was awful…" Ryuko answered feeling her muscles to feel heavy. The soreness was beginning to fill every fiber of her body and she felt utterly exhausted. "These two wanted to kill me today… Sanageyama increased my weights and eyebrows didn't let me rest, grounding me six times in a row…" She stopped a moment, yawning loudly. "Sum it up to my restless night and you get how I feel…" Placing her elbow near the window, she supported her head with her hand.

"You can close your eyes if you want." Senketsu chuckled. "Get some rest while I'm driving, I will wake you up when we reach your apartment." Another yawn from Ryuko made him chuckle again.

"I'm not that tired…" She answered back weakly, but she felt her seat becoming more and more comfortable and soft. "I just… Need a break…" However, after a couple of minutes, she was already snoring lightly, drifting into the realm of dreams. When Senketsu heard that, he chuckled for the third time. Stopping at the traffic light, he turned for a moment to see his friend. Ryuko seemed so peaceful asleep. Reaching out with his hand, he moved her red hair streak away from her eyes, placing it behind her ear. When the traffic light turned green, he crossed the road and then turned left. After another couple of minutes of driving, he stopped the car near a building and turned off the engine. Leaving the car, he went to the other side and carefully opened the door. Catching Ryuko before she fell off, he froze in place, hoping that he didn't wake her up.

Looking up to her, Senketsu saw that she was still sleeping. Sighing in relief, he unlocked her seat belt and took her backpack, placing it on his shoulder. Hoisting her friend in his arms, then, he closed the door and locked the car before moving towards the building. Holding her up wasn't an hard task: Ryuko wasn't that heavy and he possessed a fair amount of strength. Reaching for the elevator, he pressed the button for the third floor and waited the doors to open. Looking to the girl another time, he saw that she was peaceful asleep with her head leaned against his chest exactly where the heart was. There was a small smile on her face and Senketsu couldn't help but smile as well at the sight.

When the doors opened, he made his way towards the door with the number two-hundred-seventy-six printed on it. Slowly, he crouched down, so Ryuko was sitting on the floor and at the same time leaning against him. Searching into his pockets for the keys, he quickly but silently opened the door and lifted Ryuko again. Moving inside, he closed the door behind him with his foot and moved towards the bedroom to lay the girl down.

"Mission completed." He thought with a chuckle once he managed to lay her in a comfortable position. "Just a little improvement…" He then slowly removed Ryuko's shoes and, with some difficulties, her jacket, placing them on the chair near the bed.

"Alright, now it's done." He thought sighing a little. Looking to the girl for the last time, he smiled again. The small red hair streak fell in front of her eyes right under his watch. Carefully moving it away, he thought how was it possible that Ryuko had to face all these problems but she was still able to make him smile like an idiot without even trying. He wasn't in love with her. There was another girl in his heart. He came up with a theory once, but he never told her. Maybe the next morning he could share it with her.

"But for now… Goodnight Ryuko." He whispered, standing up and covering her with some blankets. Going back into the living room, he locked the door and layed on the couch checking his clock. "Six post meridian." He thought. "I think I will wait a little more before preparing something for dinner. Maybe I can rest a little too…" A small yawn made his way through his throat. "Just one hour… I need to study too…" He said, closing his eyes. 


End file.
